Return ball packaging method



A. E. COLLINS 2,851,835

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INVENTOR. ARTHUR E. COLLINS i F ea-o P ATTORNEYS 2,851,835 RETURN-BALL PACKAGING METHQD Arthur E. Collins, Rockville, Conn assignor to The Barr Rubber Products Company, Sandusliy, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application September 9, 1854, Serial Ne. 454,994, now Patent No. 2,717,691, dated September 13, 1955. Divided'and this application-April-Zl, 1955, SerialNo. 505,400

2 Claims. (CI. 53-21) The present invention relates to packaging machinery and particularly to a. machine for packaging articles known in the toy field as return balls.

Soft rubber. return balls have. for. years been a staple article in the toy field. They are small rubber balls with long elastic threads attached and are suitable for use as a. toy bythemselves or in connection with paddles or bats to. which the free end ofthe elasticthread is attached. These soft rubber return balls easily become soiled with handling. It is necessary for marketing purposes that return-balls be suitably individually packaged to avoid great wastagedue to consumer rejection of dirty or even slightly soiled balls or elastics.

Design of high speed automatic packaging equipment to operate on resilient. balls with long,-. highly-elastic threads trailing therefrom presents obvious problems arising from the necessity of handling the articles by the series of rapid successive motions, which are'necessary to processing on a volume basis. Heretofore, no packaging machinery or techniques have been developed to overcome the tendency of the balls to jam and the threads to tangle in the'course of their rapid handling in the packaging. operation. Accordingly, such packaging operations have been heretofore performed manually or semi-manually, and the cost of packaging'alone has represented a disproportionate share of the manufacturing cost of the articles.

The object of the present invention is toprovide means which-will package. return balls ona highespeed, fully automatic basis without jamming or catching of. the articles being packaged, and. to thereby. make possible more economical manufacture .of marketable return balls.

The broad object. of the invention is accomplished by providing for-gripping engagementof a return ball and a piece of web in which the ball is-to .bepackagedbetween two. rotating members, while also providing a ballreceiving bushing. or receptacle, whereby the elastic thread associated with the ballis wound aroundrthe side of the ball near the piece of web, the-two .rotatingsmembers and.the bushing thenbeing translated axially. with respect to eachother to plug the wound ball and its associated. web piece into the receptacle for a subsequent finalwrapping operation, all as fully disclosed below.

Theseand other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptionof a= specific embodiment of the invention.

In the-drawingsz V Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe lower portion of a machine embodying the invention, the very centermost portion ofthis'view beingin section taken on-line 11 in Figure 3, and certain mechanism illustrated in Figures 17 and 18. being omitted from the lower right portion of Figure 1 forpurposes of clarity;

Figure 2.is asectional plan view taken below the level of the turntable shown in Figure .1;

Figure3 is aside elevation of'the machine shownin Figure 1;

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Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section taken on line 55 in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the unloading station, this view being taken from just below the level of the turntable shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a sectiontaken on line 77 in Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a section taken on line 88 in Figure2;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section taken on line 9-'-9 in Figure 8; V

Figure 10 is a section taken'on line 1010. in Figure 2;

Figure 11 is a section taken on line 1111 in Figure 2;

Figure 12 is a section takenon line 12-12 in Figure 1;

Figure 13 is a section taken on line 1313 in Figure 1;

Figure 14 is a fragmentary vertical section at the .ball loading station;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary section taken on line 15-15 in Figure 1;

Figure 16 is a fragmentary vertical section taken at the unloading station;

Figure 17 is a view of certain mechanism located at the lower right portion of Figure 1, but omitted from that view for purposes of clarity;

Figure 18 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 18--18 in Figure v17;

Figure 19 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 19-19 in Figure 17.

In order to facilitate and condense description of=the invention, the following discussion of the drawingswill specify reference numerals for the various parts and in parentheses will specify by number the figure or figures of the drawings inwhich such reference numerals may be found. For example, input shaft 15 (1, 2) signifies that the particular part referred to is given-the reference numeral 15 and is to-be conveniently found in Figures 1 and 2.

Power and control 'linkage The mechanism as a whole is supported on. a frame and table structure 10, which appears in all the drawings. The input shaft 15 (1, 2) is supported in this frame, and, through the screw wheels 16 and 17. (2, 15), drives a main cam shaft 20' (2, 15) on which are mounted the earns -22, 23, 2.4, and 26(2). At the far end ofthe main cam shaft 20 is mounted. a bevel gear 27. About midway along. the length of the main cam shaft 20. is geared a screw wheel 28 which drives a corresponding screw wheel 29 (7') one Geneva drive power. shaft 30 (2, 7). Fixed on the shaft30 is a. cam 31 and 2. Geneva drive element 32 (2, 8). The drive element 32 engages a Geneva gear 3:3 which is secured. to the tumtable 40. The turntable is supported. for rotation on a fixed central flanged hub assembly 34 (2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11).

Turntable organization and 'directly associated linkages In the following description, three stations are referred to whichmay be designated as station I, or the webfeed station; station II, or the ball loading station; and station III, or the final wrap and unload. station. These stations are labeled in Figure 1.

Around the turntable 40 are mounted a series of clamps 52 (l, 3, 4, 11,12), each clamp 52 being supported by a toggle 53 (4); each toggle 53 is biased in one of its two extreme positions by a spring 54 and is operatively connected with its associated clamp :52by a connecting arm 55.

Extending up from the base or table 10 is a central hollow column 56 1, 4, 5, 7, 8) which supports a drill press structure, including a motor 57' (3) and a power linkage to a drill head, belts 58 and central sheaves 59. A toothed drill lever wheel 6il also forms part of this conventional drill press structure, and, through a spur gear 62 and a succeeding linkage (including a rack and pinion connection), the wheel controls raising and lowering ofthe drillspindle 63 in themanner which is conventional in drill presses. The sheaves 59 are keyed to a central shaft (4, 5, 7, 8), which is driven in order to power means to be described below.

The bevel gear 27 at the end of the main cam shaft 20 meshes with a bevel gear 41 (1, 2, 3) on a shaft mounted within a long bushing 42. To this shaft is fixed a bell crank 43, which, through a push rod 44 actuates a conventional one-way intermittent grip drive in the form of a pawl lever and ratchet wheel, generally indicated at 45 (1). This intermittent drive communicates through a belt drive shaft 46 with a belt drive roll 47. This roll intermittently advances an endless belt 48 (1, 2, 3, 6) which also-passes over an idler roll 49. The belt is supported in its upper pass by a belt support plate 50.

Within the hollow column 56 is a dumbbell-shaped member (4, 7). The slots 71 (1, 4), 72 (1) and 73 (4, 5) are provided in the hollow column 56, and, through these slots, protrude corresponding extensions 74, 75 and 76. Depending fingers 77 and 78 are provided on extensions 74 and 75, respectively (3). Extension 76 is connected to a cam follower arm 79 (4) by a short link. A follower on this arm is in following engagement with the cam 25.

- Station I.Web-f eed station A frame and cover structure 80 is provided at station I, the general top level of this frame structure being just above the level of the turntable 40 (I, 12, 13). Through the spur gear 81 (2, 12) on the input shaft 15 and the spur gears 82 and 83 (12), a shaft 84 is constantly driven. Mounted on this shaft is an eccentric roll 85 (13). A slot 86 is provided in the top surface of the frame 80. A yoke 87 (l, 12, 13), which may be provided with a finger grip 88, is fixed to a shaft 89, which, in turn, is pivotally mounted on the frame 80. Also fixed to the shaft 89 is a small lever having a thumb screw 90 at its outer end. A yoke roll or idler roll 93 (1, 12, 13) is rotatably mounted between the ends of the yoke 87.

Fixed to a shaft 96, which is pivotally mounted on the frame 80, is a knife 91, (1, 10, 12, 13). In following engagement with the cam 23 is a cam follower 94 (2, -10) mounted on a cam follower arm 95 (1, 2, 10), which, together with the knife 91, is keyed for oscillation with the shaft 96. A counter-weight 97 (2, 10) at the free end of the cam follower arm 95 urges the knife to closed position under control of the cam 23. A compression spring 92 (1, 12) urges the shaft 96 to the right, as seen in Figure 12, to hold the knife 91 in close, but cushioned, contact with the associated cutting edge of the frame 80.

A web 100 (1, 10, 11, 12, 13) of cellophane or other desired packaging material is supplied from a feed roll mounted on a bracket 101 (1, 12), the web being fed over a suitable guide roll 102 (1, 12, 13).

A cam follower 106 (2, 11) is in following engagement with the cam 22. The cam follower 106 is mounted on a cam follower arm 107, which is preferably provided with a counterweight' 108. A shaft 109, rotatably mounted within the housing 80, is keyed to the arm 107. The other end of the shaft 109 is keyed to an arm 110, which is coupled through a link'111 (11) to a bell crank 112. Thebell crank 112 is pivoted on a bracket which is fixed to the hollow column 56. The bell crank is connected through a lost motionconnection with a link 113, which, in turn, is connected to a sliding finger 115 ('11, 12), the finger 115 being .slidingly'supported in a suitable bushing mounted on the bracket 105. .The finger 115 is so located that when it is depressed it will actuate a toggle 53, thenat station I, to clamp-closed position, as will be clear from Figure 12. Y

' Station Il.Ball loading station Lower rotatable support-A cam follower (2, 8) mounted on a bell crank 121 is in following engagement with the cam 24. The bell crank 121 is pivotally mounted on the fixed central flanged hub assembly 34 at pivot point 134. Through a link 122 (2, 8, 9) the bell crank 121 is connected to a crank 123 fixed on a shaft 124. The shaft rotates in bushings 125 (9). A yoke 128 (8, 9) is keyed for rotation with the shaft 124 by means of a key 127 (9) received in a keyway 126. The yoke 128 engages a slot 129 (8, 9) in a freely rotatable support assembly 130 (2, 8, 9), which assembly is supported for rotation and reciprocation in a pillow block 131 (2, 8). The cam follower crank 121 is suitably biased for following engagement by a spring 132 (8). The top of the rotating support assembly 130 is formed as a ball support 135 (8) which is adapted to be raised into one of a plurality of holes or openings 133 in the turntable 40.

Swinging loading arm. The mechanism illustrated in Figures 17 and 18 has been illustrated from the lower right hand portion of Figure 1 for purposes of clarity. The source of power for the entire turntable linkage actually originates through the input driver 137 (17, 18), which, through spur gears 138 and 139, sprocket 140, chain 141 and sprocket 142, drives the input shaft 15. Mounted on the end of the input shaft 15 is a bevel gear 143 and a cam 144. The bevel gear 143 meshes with a bevel gear 145 on a vertical shaft 146. The top end of this shaft is supported by a suitable shaft support extension 148. The cam 147 is keyed on the shaft 146.

An arm 150, with an attached shank 149, is mounted with the shank supported for rotation around a vertical axis with the ends of the shank guided for sliding movement by the sockets or guides 151, these guides being fixed to any suitable frame members. The tail of the arm 150 is provided with a slot 152 .which receives a pin 153, which, in turn, is mounted on an arm 154 keyed to a vertical shaft 155. Also keyed to this shaft is a follower arm 156 having a follower 157. in engagement with the cam 147. The top of the shaft is rotatably mounted at the end of a fixed bracket structure 158. A cam follower 164, in following engagement with the cam 144,

. is mounted at the end of a bell crank keyed to the horizontal shaft 165. The other end of this shaft is keyed with a yoke arm 166, the outer end of which is engaged in the slot near the center portion of the shank 149, in the manner illustrated in the drawings. A suitable spring constantly urges the swinging arm 150 to inboard position, that is, to the solid line position shown in Figure 17.

The outer end of the arm 150 is provided with a socket or hole surrounded by a guide structure 167 (14, 17, 19). The main body 167 of the guide structure is supplemented by a top flange or lip 168 and a finger 169 to aid in guiding the elastic thread onto the ball as it is being wound and particularly to prevent backlash and consequent fouling of the elastic thread. 7

Upper linkage.The lower end of the spindle 63 is fited with a ball-engaging member 160 (3, 14). A carn follower 161 (2, 3) is in following engagement with the cam 26 on the main cam shaft 20. Cam follower 161 is mounted on a bell crank 162, which is connected through a link 163 to the drill lever wheel 60. The intermediate dwell of the cam 26, as shown in Figure 3, is adapted to lower the member 160 into initial contact with a ball, as shown in Figure 14, at loading station II. The high dwell of the cam 26 is adapted to further lower the member 160 to push the previously contacted ball into the corresponding hole 133 in the turntable 40, so that, upon indexing of the turntable, the ball will appear as shown in Figure 15. It will be understood that the function of the .cam linkage 120130 is to insure that the ball support '135 is lowered out of the way when the turntable 40 the cam 26, because the cam follower 120 is free to be biased out of cam following contact "against the force of the spring 132 in order to accommodate forcing down of a ball upon the member 135.

Station III.Final wrap and unloading station Within a fixedly mounted housing 170 (2, 3, 6, 16) is received a movable ring 173 retained by a cover flange 172. An integral arm 174 extends through a slot to one side of the housing 170. A pluralityof circumferentially spaced slots 175 (6, 16) are provided in the movable ring 173. These slots 175 receive pins 176 fixed to the ends of German blades 177, which blades, at their opposite ends, pivot on pivot pins 178 fixed to the lower flange of the housing 170. Thus, this structure comprises an adjustable opening means which is mechanically similar to the diaphragm adjustment used in a variety of applications, particularly in photographic equipment.

Power taken off from the lower end of the shaft 65 is transmitted through a belt 180 (2, 3), shaft 181 and belt 182 to a pulley sheave 183, which rotates with a hollow shaft 185 (16), which shaft is received within a housing 184 (3). Fixed within the hollow shaft 185 is an inner sleeve 186 (16) provided with a plurality of ridges 187 to provide firm gripping of balls which are forced into the bore of this inner sleeve.

Shifting of the arm 174 to control the adjustment of the squeeze-01f means is controlled by the cam 31 on the Geneva drive power shaft 30. A cam follower190 (2) mounted on a bell crank 191 and suitably biased in following engagement by a spring 192 is in following engage,- ment with the cam 31 The bell crank 191 is connected to the arm 174 by a link 193 (1, 2, 3, 6).

Operation As each clamp 52 arrives at station I, it is in open position. As its associated socket or hole 133 is brought to rest at station I, the eccentric roll 85 approaches that fraction of its revolution which brings it into engagement, through the web 100, with the idler roll 93. The angular measure of this engagement depends on the setting of the thumb screw 90. As the yoke 87 is raised, such engagement will be diminished, thus diminishing the length of web which is fed on each revolution of the roll 85.

A length of the web 150, measured in accordance with the above adjustable drive, is fed under the knife 91 and onto the turntable over the then indexed hole or opening 133 and under the associated clamp 52. The clamp 52 is then lowered through the action of the member 115 controlled by the cam 20. Immediately thereafter, the knife 91 is actuated by its control linkage to cut off the measured amount of web.

The web piece, in position over its associated hole 133, is then successively advanced until it arrives at ball loading station II. As it arrives at this station, the arm 151) swings into the solid line position shown in Figure 17, clearing the top of the turntable 40 by a slight distance. The arm 15% is then lowered onto the table 41) by the linkage controlled by the cam 144 and comprising the yoke arm 166, in a manner which will be apparent from the drawings. The ball, held by the arm 150, is supported in position by light engagement with the member 167. Thereupon, the associated clamp is released by the finger 77 under control of the cam 25.

The rotating ball-engaging member 160 is then lowered an initial amount under control of the cam 26, and the rotatable ball support135 is raised under control of the cam 24. As the rotating member 160 engages the ball and clamps it against the rotatable member 135, the thread is quickly wound in a tight spiral around the bottom side of the ball, as shown in Figures 14 and 15. The thread is guided by the finger 169 and the flange 168, and any tendency of the thread to whip out'of position is counteracted by these members. When winding of the thread has been completed, the cam 26 advances 6 the rotating member 169 anadditional amount, forcing the wound ball into theassociated hole 133. The cam 24 and associated linkage yieldingly lower the rotatable member to accommodate such plugging or lowering of the ball. The cam 25 thereupon raises the member 160 away from the turntable, while the cam 24 simultaneously lowers the member 130 from the turntable. At this stage, the elements are ready for indexing to the next position.

Meanwhile, the arm is swung to the phantom position shown in Figure 17. In this position a succeeding ball is loaded onto the arm either manually or by suitable automatic means. The thread is left trailing over the side of the arm as shown. As an example of a suitable automatic feed, the ball may be dropped into position in the member 167 from the end of a feed chute (not shown) having a center slot through which ball threads depend, the end of the feed chute having suitable escapement detents to release one ball at a time in proper sequence with the positioning of the arm 150.

The particular ball and its associated web are successively advanced until they are indexed at ball unloading station III, where they are positioned directly over the constantly rotating inner sleeve 186. The ball at this station is thereupon pushed through the blades 177 and into the rotating sleeve 186 by the member 78 under control of the cam 25. Immediately thereafter, the blades 177 are swung to closed position under control of the cam 31. The continuously rotating sleeve 186 rotates the ball while the upper non-ball-engaging portions of the web piece are engaged and brought together by the blades 177, thus causing the web piece to tightly wrap the ball, in the manner clearly shown in Figure 16. The blades 177 are thereafter caused to open, and the turntable 4t) indexes, leaving the now tightly wrapped ball within the sleeve 186, to be ejected therefrom onto the belt 48 by the succeeding ball.

Reference is hereby made to parent application Serial No. 454,994, filed September 9, 1954, now U. S. Patent No. 2,717,691, issued September 13, 1955. The present application, is a divisional application with respect to the aforesaid parent application.

While the above disclosure specifies the precise details of a preferred machine actually built and successfully tested by me, it will be apparent that numerous variations in mechanical detail may be made without departing from the essence of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to the precise details of the illustrated machine but is defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A method for wrapping a return ball comprising an elastic ball and an elastic thread attached thereto, said thread having a length equivalent to at least a plurality of diameters of said ball comprising the steps of placing a wrapper comprising a piece of a web of wrapping material between coaxial rotatable members, placing the ball on said wrapper and between said members with the associated elastic thread extending from the ball radially outwardly from the axis of rotation of said coaxial rotatable members, bringing said rotatable members together to engage the wrapper between the ball and one of said rotatble members during rotation of the rotatable members and simultaneously guiding the thread toward the area of tangency of the ball and wrapper to Wind up the thread on the ball and on one hemisphere thereof, drawing the wrapper around the ball to capture the wound thread in said wound position and then securing the marginal portions of the wrapper together at the ther and opposite hemisphere of said ball.

2. A method for wrapping a return ball comprising an elastic ball and an elastic thread attached thereto, said thread having a length equivalent to at least a plurality of diameters of said ball, comprising the steps of placing a wrapper comprising a piece of a web of wrapping ma terial between coaxial rotatable members, placing the ball area of tangency of the ball and wrapper to wind up the thread on the ball and on one hemisphere thereof, and thereupon, while continuing to rotate the ball and engage it between said rotatable members, shifting a ball receiving bushing means and said rotatable members axially with respect to each other to draw the bushing means at least partially over the ball from the axial direction cor- Y responding to said one hemisphere to draw the wrapper around the ball and capture the wound thread in said wound position and then securing the marginal portions of the wrapper together at the other and opposite hemisphere of said ball. V

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,703,641 Sowden Feb. 26, 1929 1,751,275 Gammeter Mar. 18, 1930 1,830,641 Corbett Nov. 3, 1931 2,632,985 Schmitt Mar. 31, 1953 

